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Katara follows the sound of the singing. She’s humming along and trying to remember all the words when she reaches the end of the corridor and steps out into her favourite garden in the Fire Nation palace.
Toph is sitting on one of the low walls, idly flicking rocks against each other. Three holes appear between her feet as Katara approaches. “Secret tunnel,” she sing-songs, and with a single flick of her fingers, three pebbles zing straight into the spaces.
“Hey, Toph,” Katara says, perching on the wall next to her.
“Hey, Katara,” she replies, perking up considerably. “I am so bored. My Dai Li are still guarding Sparkypants and Twinkletoes during these damn negotiations, they still tell me I’m too young, and Mai’s off discovering herself now she’s not going to be Fire Lady. I thought you’d be in there, too,” she adds.
Katara pulls a face. “I wanted to let Aang be the Avatar without… without people being able to accuse him of partiality to the Water Tribes,” she says, but she hasn’t even really convinced herself of that yet. “Last week, General Fong accused Aang of being generous because he wanted to win me back and I had to freeze Aang to the wall to stop him going all Avatar State on the guy again.”
“I should be in there, not some stupid general,” Toph grumbles. “And anyway, this is all old gossip. Entertain me, Sweetness, I’m bored. What’s been happening?”
Katara shrugs. “Mostly, Aang looking really worried when my dad and Zuko start getting all cold and polite at each other when they disagree about something.”
“Boring.” Toph rolls her eyes – and then blinks, and tilts her head. “So how is Fire Lord Sparky these days?”
It’s very warm out here in the sun, Katara thinks. “He’s – he’s fine,” she says, and wonders why she stumbled. “I, uh. I haven’t seen him much since… well, I mean, we had dinner… but not recently. I think he’s avoiding me,” she sighs, “and I can’t understand why.”
“You’re no fun,” Toph sulks. She starts up her song again: “Two lovers, too stubborn for one another…”
“I’m not sure that’s how it goes,” Katara says, puzzled. “I’m sure it was ‘forbidden’. You know,” she hums, “a war divides their people…”
“Well it did, anyway,” Toph says, darkly. “And then their friends. And now they’re being stupid about it.”
Katara shrugs, under the uncomfortable feeling that she’s missed the point. “I think you’re talking about a different version.”
“Oh, I am,” Toph beams. “And I’m going to sing it to Zuko right now. As soon as today’s talks are done. Secret lovers, secret lovers – ” Toph pauses, and then cackles, “in denial, secret secret secret secret – ”
And then Katara realises what Toph is getting at, and springs to her feet. “Toph!” she squeaks. “We’re not – ”
“Well, you should be,” Toph says, before finishing on a triumphant, “LOVERS!”
Katara flees before Toph can think of how to change the original’s chorus of ‘And die’.